Change in the circulation of the world ocean can cause a significant change in climate
Last reviewed: 16.10.2021
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In the history of the Earth there were cases when the average temperature of the surface of the planet in a few decades jumped to ten degrees, and a number of scientists believe that we are waiting for something similar in connection with the pumping of the atmosphere with carbon dioxide.
The new study, however, supports those who believe that the cause of sharp warming, etc., lies in the changes in the circulation of the ocean. "It's possible that the mechanisms that allow greenhouse gases to cause such dramatic changes do exist, but the geological record does not tell us anything about this," says the co-author of the study, David Battisti from the University of Washington, USA.
A group of scientists modeled the so-called Heinrich events that took place during the last ice age 110-10 thousand years ago. It is about the mass education of icebergs in the North Atlantic. They carried with them material that had become part of the glaciers as they advanced overland. Icebergs melted, the material sank to the bottom, and its presence in the sediments allows scientists to restore the history of those distant years.
In the course of the experiment, the oxygen-isotope was added to the numerous climate models, which makes it possible to determine the cause of the already recorded climatic changes; The previous analysis of the ratio of oxygen isotopes in the carbonate deposits of China and India showed that the intensity of monsoons in these regions changed drastically. The simulation was based on these isotopic ratios.
It was found that a sudden increase in the volume of sea ice in the North Atlantic cooled the Northern Hemisphere, including the surface of the Indian Ocean, which led to a reduction in precipitation in India and weakened the Indian rainy season, but did not particularly affect East Asia.
Mr. Battisti notes that although climate change caused by carbon dioxide can hardly be abrupt, some things do happen very quickly. For example, if an ecosystem is to lose its cornerstone, how it will change in the blink of an eye. A smooth retreat of sea ice can lead to rapid warming within a few thousand kilometers from the coast. If warming slowly drains a semi-arid area, fires become more frequent.
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